Goat producers sought for national scrapie study

Goat producers are being urged to participate in a scrapie prevalence study, part of an effort to rid the country of the disease. “What we’re trying to do is establish a strategic plan to get producers involved with scrapie eradication in a way that works for producers,” Corlena Patterson, project co-ordinator of Scrapie Canada, said

Ritz regrets XL Foods wasn’t pushed harder

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency should have been “more vociferous” in demanding inspection data from XL Foods during the early stages of the contaminated beef crisis, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz admits. “The CFIA could have been more hard nosed,” Ritz said at Commons agriculture committee hearings on legislation that will overhaul the agency. But he





Research looks for antibiotic alternatives

Plant-based peptides could offer alternatives to antibiotics currently used in livestock production, if research at Prairie Plant Systems pans out. The Saskatoon-based company is examining the possible applications of peptides possessing antibacterial properties. “It’s pretty preliminary research, but the idea behind it is to see if it’s possible to have feed amendments that could prevent

Man awarded $7.2 million in ‘popcorn lung’ lawsuit

Reuters / A U.S. Federal Court jury has awarded a Colorado man $7.2 million in damages for developing a chronic condition known as “popcorn lung” from a chemical used in flavouring microwave popcorn. Jurors agreed with the claims by Wayne Watson, 59, that the popcorn manufacturer and the supermarket chain that sold it were negligent


Independent look at XL needed

Four years ago, the Harper government was mired in the Maple Leaf listeria crisis and sought to reassure voters in the upcoming federal election by appointing an independent inquiry into the deadly event. While the XL Foods E. coli incident has produced only four confirmed cases of illness compared to the 22 deaths and scores

Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk

Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk london / reuters / Researchers in New Zealand have genetically engineered a cow to produce milk with very little of an allergy-causing protein. The technique, called RNA interference, reduces activity of certain genes without eliminating them completely. With mothers breastfeeding less, cows’ milk is an increasing source of protein


Ontario man contracts H1N1 variant after contact with pigs

Reuters – An Ontario man has been infected with an H1N1 variant influenza virus after having had close contact with pigs. “I would like to reassure Ontarians that this variant influenza virus rarely spreads from animals to humans,” said Arlene King, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health. “Subsequent human-to-human transmission is also rare. I would

Deadline approaching to comment on cosmetic pesticide policy

Farmers and pesticide manufacturers are lining up against a proposed ban on cosmetic pesticides in Manitoba as the Oct. 1 deadline for public comment on the issue approaches. Even though agriculture, forestry and golf courses would be exempt if the province proceeds with a ban, Keystone Agricultural Producers president Doug Chorney said restricting cosmetic use